Cheryl Ganz – författare

‘It burst into flames! … It’s burning, bursting into flames and it’s – and it’s falling on the mooring mast and … this is terrible. This is one of the worst catastrophes in the world.’On 6 May 1937 the pioneering Zeppelin Hindenburg, LZ-129, ended its career in flames when its hydrogen lifting gas ignited while landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey. But the airship had already completed sixty-two successful flights before this fateful day, catering to Nazi officials, socialites and the well heeled. Hindenburg offered cutting-edge transport technology with luxury and style, making it a spectacle to behold on both sides of the Atlantic, and was expected to be just the first of many giant passenger Zeppelins. Three world-renowned experts have collaborated to create the definitive history of the Zeppelin Hindenburg, using stunning black-and-white and colour photographs, rare ephemera and detailed diagrams to highlight the sheer style of this mammoth lighter-than-air craft and explain the shocking disaster that signalled the end of airship travel.

Every stamp and piece of mail tells a story. In fact, each often tells multiple stories, ranging from concept to art design to production to usage, often with tales of politics, history, technology, biography, genealogy, economics, geography, disaster, and triumph. The lens of philately offers a fresh and engaging story of American history, culture, and identity, and it can also help deepen the understanding of world cultures. The William H. Gross Stamp Gallery, opened at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in September 2013, has many such stories to tell. Chief philately curator Cheryl R. Ganz guides readers through some of the gallery''s nearly 20,000 objects that together illustrate the history of our nation''s postal operations and postage stamps.